Kingsway Golf Centre

The Challenge

In December 2016 Kingsway Golf Centre in Cambridge was looking for ways to increase junior participation as it had no junior members at the facility.

As a student, PGA Professional Chris Hattersley had volunteered to deliver Tri-Golf activity in schools, so when he was researching new ways to attract juniors to the Kingsway Golf Centre he decided to explore what the Golf Foundation had to offer. Having tried and tested different academy ideas and programmes, Chris opted to register for the Junior Golf Passport. This case study shows what impact the programme has had on the golf club.

How to attract youngsters to Junior Golf Passport sessions?

The first step was to promote the Junior Golf Passport sessions which involved delivering flyers to local schools and publicising the activity through social media, email and via the club website. Additionally the JGP marketing support material provided by the Golf Foundation generated further interest and enquiries from parents.

What are the benefits to registering for the Junior Golf Passport?

According to Chris Hattersley, the JGP provides the perfect pathway to develop a young golfer. The comprehensive resource takes players on a journey from learning basic skills such as how to grip a golf club, right through to playing in a 9 hole competition and gaining their first handicap. It gives the coach the flexibility and freedom to dedicate their time to teaching and ensuring the sessions are fun.

The Junior Golf Passport marketing pack has made it easier to promote the coaching activity. The branded banner, leaflets and posters, could be easily personalised with information about the coaching so within a short period of time weekend sessions reached full capacity.

Youngsters could keep a regular track of their Junior Golf Passport development by either using the booklet or the players’ locker room on the website. There are advantages to using the online system, booklets can easily be misplaced so it is useful to have the facility for parents, children and coaches to view each individual’s progress in the comfort of their own home. Keeping a record of each player’s development as they work their way through the ‘Start, Learn and Play’ levels encourages children to remain engaged in the programme.

The impact of the Passport

The Junior Golf Passport has had a significant impact at Kinsgway Golf Centre, with a clear rise in junior participation. At the beginning of 2017, the club had no junior golfers but just 6 months later it had 35 young people enrolled on the Passport scheme, junior membership is in double figures, and there is real optimism that this growth will continue.

Encouraging juniors to the golf club has had the added benefit that parental involvement has increased. As Chris Hattersley explained the “JGP has encouraged parents to come and watch more sessions, caddy for their children in events, and even compete with them in competitions. It is becoming more than just a junior academy, the JGP is for the whole family to enjoy.”

More importantly children ‘love the fun, social aspect, seeing their friends. Learning and succeeding together, especially when they receive their certificates.”

“Before the JGP the club had zero junior members…just 6 months later it has 35 young people enrolled on the Junior Golf Passport, and junior membership is reaching double figures.”(Chris Hattersley, PGA Professional, Kingsway Golf Centre.)